Lactuca tetrantha

Lactuca tetrantha
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Cichorieae
Genus:	Lactuca
Species:	L. tetrantha
Binomial name
Lactuca tetrantha B.L.Burtt & P.H.Davis
Synonyms
Scariola tetrantha (B.L.Burtt & P.H.Davis) Soják

Lactuca tetrantha, Troödos lettuce is an erect, lactiferous, perennial herb, 10–30 cm high. Leaves hairless, deeply dissected, the basal in rosette, oblong, 3-12 x 0.8-2.5 cm, often purplish-green, the upper alternate, smaller. Flowers in capitula, arranged in corymbs, florets 4, ligulate, yellow, reddish at the lower surface, flowers July–October, fruit a pappose achene.^[1]

Habitat

Rocky hillsides and rock crevices on serpentinised rocks at 1500–1900 m altitude.

Distribution

Endemic to Cyprus where it is restricted to the higher parts of the Troödos Forest, mostly around Khionistra where it is not uncommon.

References

1. The Endemic Plants of Cyprus, Texts: Takis Ch. Tsintides, Photographs: Laizos Kourtellarides, Cyprus Association of Professional Foresters, Bank of Cyprus Group, Nicosia 1998, ISBN 9963-42-067-2

• Cyprus Flora in Colour the Endemics, V. Pantelas, T. Papachristophorou, P. Christodoulou, July 1993, ISBN 9963-7931-0-X

External links

• "Lactuca tetrantha". iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
• "uploadimages/Scariolatetrantha1600450endem". natureofcyprus.org. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
• "troodos/lang1/gallery/Lactuca-tetrantha-web". ncu.org.cy. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
• "Lactuca videos, photos and facts - Lactuca tetrantha | ARKive". arkive.org. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
• "Lactuca tetrantha B.L.Burtt & P.H.Davis — The Plant List". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2014-09-26.